encounter vs replicant

Ambrose Roche says, "--Huh."

Awkward.

The dullahan stopped, and watched Ambrose, but yet no actions came. Was he allowed to go, was he being stopped?

He had no business with Ambrose, but...

Huh.
(Replicant)

The Prince simply tilted his head, observing the Dullahan before him. If the descriptions match, then that would be it. But..

"Hm, hm.."

He seems to ponder over this some. Only eventually does he finally remark, curious still.

"Do you act in the name of Torgon?"
(Ambrose Roche)

The knight simply stood still. But upon the name being brought up, his head rose and he spoke.

"No, I act for none other than myself." a voice echoed out from the hollow armor.

"But I do consider him to be a friend." he said.

With that said, he turned and began to walk off yet again unless Ambrose were to stop him, "It's best to leave it at that."
(Replicant)

A friend?

Alarming, no doubt. But at the same time, Torgon was already losing any real 'friends' as it is; with the passage of time, there were less and less to truly fight for him.

"Odd."

"Given that he supports being neutral with Osrona that wishes to eradicate the Mire, but-"

There's an evident pause, after which he remarks.

"Would you stand with him in battle? Would you defend his ideals?"

As much as Replicant may have the idea of simply walking off, that may not be the course of action that'd result in peaceful resolution. If anything..

That might as well be taken as a 'yes'.
(Ambrose Roche)

"I aim to stand with him in the upcoming battle of Fort Umbra." the voice resounded yet again in response, Replicant continuing to walk.

But, a pause. A halt came from the knight clad in black armor. With a cant of his head, the visor captured the sight of Ambrose.

"I may not be aligned with Shadowmire anymore, but I still aim to support their will to live freely, to have a place where they can gather. All the vampires are doing is destroying that which they themselves claim to seek."

With that, he aimed to leave yet again.
(Replicant)

"Ah."

"Unfortunate."

There, the shadows manifested itself into the Collective once more- the shadowy amalgamation that has wielded the strength of the Occult all too well, and yet it is something that remains a source of great potency.

One that cannot be denied.

"I'm afraid that cannot be allowed."

"The Shadowmire is free to pursue their own goals, and they're free to pursue whatever it is they desire, really, but.."

"As long as Torgon leads them to fight us - it will not stand."

Naturally, the dark arrows of the Collective are already aimed at the Replicant.

"Which means I'll be adding you to the Collective as well."

And fired.

The Dullahan would face battle today, it would seem.
(Ambrose Roche)

The vampires were getting on the dullahan's nerves, it seems that any time he ventured out, he had to face one.

With the arrows whizzing through the air, the winds picked up and a spin upon his heel was made. A strike of his spear against the arrows to deflect them. Now that the first attack was made, Replicant had no need to hold back anymore.

A captured sight, no matter the damage done on his body, he could not fall here.

Without a word spoken this time, the dullahan kicked himself into a lunge forward.
(Replicant)

Replicant has lost 16 vitality from this battle for three hours.

Your bloodpool has been lowered by 1! It has gone from 10/10 to 9/10.

You feel your strength ebb as Cain's essence is used up in battle!

{RP BATTLE} YOU ROLLED ABOVE 2: You've sustained an injury in battle! -10% VIT for 1 year. It's up to you and your opponent to determine the specifics of the injury.




You have received an INJURY from Replicant:

{RP BATTLE} YOU HAVE ROLLED 2 OR OVER: You have evaded capture by your enemy! (Unless otherwise specified, your character may escape captivity)

Name: "Fury of the Tempest"

Desc: "A tempesting torrent of winds aimed to shave away at the defenses of Ambrose's body, allowing white noise to seep through each cut and stab of a spear. While the wounds would heal quickly, the mana imbued inside of each strike aimed to tear away at the mana circuits themselves, trapping them inside of a constant cycle of destruction and regeneration as long as the white noise persisted."



A battle that made no sense to the knight, that's all he saw. An attack that spurred the mechanization clad in black armor into battle. Remembering each and every battle of the past, Replicant continued to pierce through the air.

Wielding the Winged Spear - Sylphiette - into this battle was nothing but embarrassing. He had no reason to fight, and yet he was forced through Ambrose's actions.

Why?

Was it to drain Replicant of his essence, despite already being affected by the bite of a vampire during this battle?

Was it worth it?

While Replicant may have suffered great damage himself, and almost fell himself, the deciding strike of his spear clad in tempesting winds and a low hum of celestial white noise aimed to pushed Ambrose back with a powerful jab of his weapon. One that was followed with a flurry of winds cutting through the Roche's magical defenses.

Only for his white noise to seep through. A sorrowful onefrom Replicant, but one that aimed to damage the insides none-the-less. Damage them enough for further battle to not be advisable.

With that, the dullahan aimed to turn and walk off once again. His spear was once again laid rest upon his back.

But as he walked, he spoke.

"The King desires nothing but for the cycle to end." he spoke, "If you seek to claim what is theirs through war, so be it. But you should choose your opponents carefully outside of war."

With his voice disappearing off into the distance, he slipped into the shadows of the forest to continue roaming in search of something he couldn't find.
(Replicant)

There is quickness.

For he knew that he would have to ensure the Dullahan would come no further towards him - the power of such bladework was all too evident to the Prince, and yet it is the task he could not always keep up with.

The noxious fumes fill the air, and the dark arrows riddle its body, and yet it seems to be simply not enough. A slip here, a small error there..

And it is over.

With his magical defenses being red and shut, it becomes a testament to the fact that Ambrose, for once, is on the losing side; an uncommon sight, yet it hardly deters the Occultist from such. The reason to this fight?

It's to deter the Replicant from participating, to distance him from Torgon.

A low grumble passes his lips; he's definitely forced back, and is in pain - it's only his combat experiences that allow him to endure and persevere, yet a glance is given forward.

"--Foolish."

"For a cycle to end, he needs to stop aiding the city that wants to destroy them all."

"Not even other Mire creatures know what he's doing anymore with his ideas." So much so that some of them are migrating away from the Mire.

What is the Dullahan King worth, if he simply bends the knee to those that wish to destroy their kind?

"Go on. Return to him, and be a witness to his longest suicide note in the history."

"You are temporary anyway."

A huff. Though, to stay any longer would be unwise.

Into the dark, he fades.
(Ambrose Roche)